In September of '88 we shut down the Hilltop and the entire Home moved to Japan. While most of the grown-ups lived near the sea-side in a Home called "the Dorm," the children and I moved first to the Fountain house and then to the HCS (Heavenly City School). The children would see their parents on the weekends and they were cared for in school groups at the HCS during the week. There were probably at least one hundred people at the School at that time.

This was the first time that I was around so many people my own age, and I was thrilled to have that experience. Upon my arrival, my dad cautioned me against going "boy crazy." It was good counsel that I nobly attempted to follow, but despite my best efforts, I promptly fell in love with a few of the boys there. Aside from any emotional interests, I made plenty of other friends, both male and female, and enjoyed their company a lot. I was frequently sick in Japan—likely due to the climate switch from the tropical Philippines. This is where I contracted whooping cough, and I was sick for several weeks with that.

Aside from the times when I was sick, I have happy memories of the Japan School. Lots of outings and excursions with the other young people. Cool classes—both school and on Word topics. Dance nights, movie nights, friends.

After eight months in Japan, I was informed that a number of the people living at the Dorm who worked on publications would be moving, along with their children. They needed people who'd be willing to take care of the children, and since I had been getting lots of training in childcare over the years and I knew the kids and their parents well, they asked if I would be interested in going along.

It was a difficult decision to make, as I was naturally more inclined to stay at the HCS with so many others of my peers. I knew I would be going into a situation with only one other person my age. I thought a great deal about my decision. I weighed up the pros and cons and I prayed about it. Finally, I asked the Lord to speak to me and show me what His will was. I needed to know what His plan for my life was. Right after praying, I opened my Good Thots book and came across the poem "The Flowers or the Town." I knew after reading it that the Lord had clearly spoken to me and showed me His will. I likened the "flowers" of the poem to the fun I imagined I would have if I remained there amongst so many of my peers, and the "town" to be what I would experience if I'd leave the HCS and go with the parents and their children.

I said, "Let me walk in the fields."

He said, "No, walk in the town."

I said, "There are no flowers there."

He said, "No flowers, but a crown."

I said, "I shall miss the light,

And friends will miss me, they say."

He answered, "Choose tonight

If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given.

He said, "Is it hard to decide?

It will not seem hard in Heaven

To have followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the fields,

Then set my face to the town;

He said, "My child, do you yield?

Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,

And into my heart came He;

And I walk in a light divine

The path I had feared to see.

—George Macdonald

Convinced that this was God's will for me, I left Japan.

I arrived in Vancouver, Canada, in April of 1989, days after turning 16. This was the first time that I had ever set foot in North America and I had a fair bit of adjusting to do. Everything was big and new—supermarkets, cars, etc. Everyone spoke English. It all seemed strange.

There were three communal office Homes residing in Vancouver at the time. One was Grandpa's house, where he lived with his family and a small staff. Then there was the publications Home which was called "Creations." Finally, there was the school Home, where I lived along with a core of adult teachers and 10-14 children between the ages of six months and ten years old. There was one other teen there, Charity, who was 14, and her parents lived in the other Home. It was essentially a boarding school, in that the children were cared for and schooled during the week, and their parents who lived in the Creations Home would be with them on the weekends.

The school Home had a good setup. We occupied a 4-plex in Surrey, nestled in-between a train track and a hill that led down to a creek. There were wild blackberries growing up the hill next to the train track. We'd fill our pails full of blackberries when they were ripe, and leave pennies on the train track for the train to crush. Those were happy years for me. I spent the majority of my week days caring for the children, to whom I became attached, and in the evenings I continued with my schooling until, at the age of 18, I took and passed the CAT (Canadian Achievement Test), which is a high school equivalency test. Being the only two young people in the Home, Charity and I became good friends, and though we no longer live together, she remains a dear friend of mine to this day.

The Creations Home comprised only adults, and in Grandpa's house, Pete and Techi were the only two young people. Grandpa and Maria felt that it was important for Pete and Techi to have fellowship with others their age, and since we all lived in the same area, they arranged for the four of us to get together and fellowship and have activities together. It was significantly unusual in those days to have such frequent contact with anyone who lived at Grandpa's house. While we knew (or assumed) that they were in the same city, aside from the few who would visit them, the rest of us were not aware of their exact location.

For the next three years, pretty much every month, a long weekend would be arranged where the four of us—Charity, Pete, Techi, and I—would get together and go off camping or on some other extended trip. Usually my dad and Amy would go with us. When Daddy was on trips or later when he was busy, Gabe replaced my dad in accompanying us on our long weekends.